Dietitian

You would explain to people which foods are better for their physical and mental health. You’d motivate them to change their eating habits and lifestyles. You’d assess and treat people with a wide range of medical problems.

You could work for the National Health Service (NHS), based at a hospital or in the community.

In a hospital, you could:

• Specialise in an area such as children's health, renal dietetics or cancer care

• Run clinics for people with diabetes or eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia

• Work with catering staff to create menus for patients with a range of dietary needs

In the community, you’d work together with doctors (GPs) and health visitors.

You would:

• Lead activities to raise awareness of the importance of healthy eating for physical and mental health

• Run health promotion workshops for healthcare professionals

• Hold one-to-one consultations with people

• Give dietary advice to people whose health problems may be linked to lack of confidence, depression or low income

You could also work in:

• Education

• Manufacturing

• Research

• Journalism

• Marketing

• Advertising

• Public relations

Your role could be to develop new products and calculate their nutritional value. You might create scientifically accurate promotional literature about a food product or represent a manufacturer's point of view in the media.

If you work for the NHS the salary for this role is covered by the NHS Agenda for Change pay rates. You can see information about the pay and conditions on the dietitian page on the NHS Careers website.

• British Dietetic Association - Careers information

• Disclosure Scotland – more about the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme

• Health and Care Professions Council - Regulates people working in health, psychological and social work

• NHS Education for Scotland – Training for the healthcare workforce including higher education and professional development